Fellowships: Keepers Preservation Education Fund

Building Conservation program director Fred Cawley received a mailing this week alerting us to the Keepers Preservation Education Fund (KPEF) Fellowships, and I am excerpting information here from the mailing for the benefit of our students, alumni, faculty, and anyone who may be interested and qualified.

The KPEF was established in 1988 by the first Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, William J. Murtagh, Ph.D. It is governed by a seven-person board composed of a preservation author and historic house museum consultant; national and local preservation officials; a lawyer; and an international banker. The fund is organized as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation; contributions to the fund are tax deductible as allowed by law. For more information, email: artdeco41[AT]aol[DOT]com.

Fellowship grants are available from KPEF in support of educational activities related to the fields of historic preservation and architectural conservation. They support aspiring or established preservation professionals who wish to increase their professional knowledge or career potential. Fellowships may be used for tuition, professional meeting attendance, special book purchases, domestic and foreign study travel, and other purposes, and can range from several hundred dollars to larger sums, awarded at the discretion of the board of trustees. Fellowships are awarded on the basis of both qualifications and need; applicants are encouraged to augment KPEF grants with other grants or awards. Eligible applicants include:

--Full- and part-time students enrolloed in institutions of higher learning, with majors in historic preservation or such allied fields as American studies, anthropology, architecture, art history, history, planning, or building conservation, among others.

-- Staff, whether volunteer or paid, of preservation institutions or organizations. Preference will be given to applicants representing institutions that have historic property stewardship programs. Applications from more junior staff are preferred; for example, preference will be given to docents over directors or curators. Similar junior staff preference will be given to preservation advocacy organizations.

-- Representatives of educational programs of any organization that holds property listed in the National Register of Historic Places, provided that the property is open to the public for educational purposes and sufficient justification is made for need.

Individuals must apply through a sponsoring institution or organization, which reviews and forwards the fellowship application to KPEF. KPEF does not accept applications directly from individuals seeking financial assistance. For example, an individual may seek institutional sponsorship from a college or university in which s/he is enrolled, from a preservation institution at which s/he is an employee, or from a preservation organization in which s/he is a member.

Sponsoring institutions must agree to screen the applicant and administer the grant through an existing selection system such as an awards or scholarship committee. The institution assesses the applicant's qualifications and need, and then forwards the recommended application to the KPEF board for funding consideration. KPEF should preferably receive applications at least three months in advance of actual need.

Information needed from the fellowship applicant includes name, address, telephone and fax numbers; relationship to sponsoring institution or organization (such as student, staff or member); one-page statement explaining why funds are needed; and statement of total funds needed in support of the project or activity. Successful KPEF fellows must provide, within 60 days, a short follow-up report explaining the benefits received from the grant.

Information needed from the sponsoring institution includes the institution's name, address, telephone and fax numbers; name of contact person coordinating the institution's sponsorship of the application; purpose of the sponsoring organization; short statement explaining how the application was reviewed and how many individuals participated in the screening or selection process; number of staff/faculty affiliated with the sponsoring institution; and approximate operating budget of the sponsoring institution, organization, department, or program, as applicable.

For more information, write: Managing Trustee, Keepers Preservation Education Fund, 5 West Luray, Alexandria, Virginia 22301.